


Causality Principle

by badomens444



Series: Displaced [16]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: M/M, Universal Alteration - World Switching, mildly nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 00:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3270242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badomens444/pseuds/badomens444
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before the Council, Yuri tells his version of the events at the Ragou Manor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Causality Principle

Author's Notes: So, the end of Displaced is currently planned, but it's going to be a while before we get there. This is provides, of course, that Suspicious Popsicle doesn't give me any more terrible ideas.

Tales of Vesperia is the property of Namco Bandai.

* * *

 

They say time heals all wounds. As the wounds on Yuri's arms and body turned to dark scars, that even seemed true for him after the horrors he had gone through. It took time, time that saw Flynn's resolve to send him home washed away. But he was still left with the thought of protecting Yuri and the question of how best to do that.

Sending him home was no longer a viable option, not that Flynn had ever really wanted that. He liked having Yuri here, he liked the feelings that welled and passed between them, the heated touches and kisses that overpowered his senses. Again, he cursed himself for getting used to this, but what else could be done? If Yuri found some comfort here, who was Flynn to deny that? Yuri would be worse off if he went back to Earth with nothing and no one than he was here where he had clothes, food, a roof over his head and possibly a future. A future that Flynn found himself thinking about an awful lot more than he should have.

There were moments when the melancholy still took Yuri, clutching him tight in its dark grey grasp and threatening to squeeze the life out of him. He was distant in those moments, secluding himself to the gardens or the stables and keeping himself far from Flynn's watchful eye. Sometimes, the moods would be over in hours, other times days. Flynn wanted to help, but there was only so much that Yuri would actually allow him to do, and much of the comfort that Flynn knew he was capable of giving wasn't on that list of things.

Sometimes, they fought, whether an argument or a sparring match, but Yuri hadn't touched a sword since the bloodied one had dropped out of his hand weeks before. It was another little piece of Yuri that Flynn hoped would come back. He was a good fighter, and with practice, could be a great swordsman, but he would surely want to pick up a blade again eventually. It might just take time.

Justice was not immediate either, but its wheels were turning, and Cumore was due to stand before the Imperial Council in time. The records and the box were irrefutable, and Yuri had even stated that he was going to testify. Flynn still hadn't heard his story of what exactly had happened that fateful night, but his stomach clenched thinking about it. He hadn't wanted Yuri to have to testify, but the Council had ruled that it would be necessary and Yuri had only said "I'll do it" and accepted it just like that. He couldn't have been eager about reliving those events in any such manner, but he didn't back down. Flynn couldn't talk him out of it either, both because Yuri was definitely too stubborn and because the testimony was necessary if he had any real hope of finally getting Cumore behind bars.

In spite of the fact that the trial was the next morning, Yuri was incredibly calm and Flynn did all he could to distract him from the task at hand.

After breakfast, they went out for a ride, urging their horses across the snow covered fields as far to the north and east as they could go before hitting the Quoi Woods. They followed the line of cliffs back to the city and made it back well after sunset when the frozen world was even colder. Leftovers from the stew pot fed them and they retired to the warmth of Flynn's bedroom.

The warmth of their bodies together was enough to drive off the bone deep chill. In no time at all, Yuri was in his arms, shaking off his snow caked clothing in favor of Flynn's warm bed.

Soft moans and strangled utterances, raw, trembling, tremulous whispers and sharp gasps caught in Yuri's white throat. All of these things drove Flynn's every touch, the slightest motion. With every gentle words and touch, he tried to ease whatever harshness of this act that Yuri may have felt. He never said a word about it and seemed to have no apprehensions. Warm and receptive, at least he seemed to enjoy it and said as much when Flynn asked, but that didn't stop him from being gentle.

Yuri's fingers curled into the softness of the pillow, his body writhing beneath Flynn's, legs clamped around his waist, as if holding on for dear life. In the throes of passion, Yuri was his fieriest, hands desperately searching for something to hold, sweat beading on his brow, his body trembling and his mouth no longer able to form words together leaving him with only a string of pleasured sounds. Flynn nestled into the crook of Yuri's neck, leaving tender kisses. Yuri's nails scraped over his shoulders, hands fumbling in desperation. The sounds of them raking against the headboard of the bed made Yuri suddenly cold and stunned.

Yuri shoved him away, wriggling out of his embrace, and scrambled off the bed.

"Yuri!" Flynn fumbled to follow, tripping in the puddles of their clothing.

The door to the bathroom slammed in his face, and he heard the lock click. The acoustics of the marble and tile made the sounds that followed all the more upsetting. The choke of a sob Yuri tried to mask, the lurch of his stomach. Flynn was left barred out and helpless.

"Yuri...?" He asked quietly once the sounds of physical illness slowed and ceased.

There was no reply, but he hadn't expected one.

That sound, fingernails tearing across wood, burned in his ears. No doubt that was what had set Yuri off, and Flynn couldn't help but be reminded of the crate from Cumore's basement that they had recovered during their investigation. The claw marks were just as pronounced in the grain of the wood as Yuri's cracked and bloodied fingernails and finger tips had been.

"Yuri... please. Let me help you."

Another strangled sob was his only reply. The door didn't open and Flynn didn't move.

 

* * *

 

It was nearly dawn before Yuri emerged, haggard and pale, moving with weight and purpose. He didn't say a word to Flynn, didn't even look at him. That same silence carried them all the way down to the courtroom where the Council was convening for the trial.

Cumore was brought before the court, although his appearance wouldn't have suggested that he had spent a couple of weeks in jail. He was dressed impeccably, every detail of his composure and person perfect. Flynn should have expected no less and wouldn't have been surprised if the dark purple velvet suit that Cumore wore had been tailored for him specifically for the trial. It was sickening, but Flynn sat silent while the proceedings began and Sodia took charge as she had before.

The charges were stated and the opening arguments gave way to the Council calling for Yuri's testimony.

He stood in the witness box, tall and unwavering, silent and serious until they asked him to speak. The effects of the terrifying events that Flynn had witness last night were not obvious here.

"Do you remember the night in question?" The Council head asked, peering down from his high bench where the entirety of the Council was seated.

"Yes."

"Tell us what happened."

Yuri didn't hesitate, his resolve already steeling his nerve.

"It was after dark and I was taking a walk around the Lower Quarter. After stopping in at the Comet, I was planning on returning here to the palace when two men grabbed me. I thought I was only getting mugged, but Cumore stepped out of the alleyway and ordered the men to shut me in a crate. I fought to get away, but they nailed the lid of the crate on and I was unable to break through."

His detachment was chilling, but Flynn could do nothing more than listen.

"I don't know where they carried me to after that, but it was a long time before they opened the box in the basement where I was found. Cumore was there as well. They dumped me there, and Cumore left with the box they carried me in and ordered me to be 'taken care of'. That was when Ragou showed up with his monster."

"What happened then?"

Part of Flynn didn't want to know, didn't want to hear. But he needed to. It was going to be the only way he could ever help Yuri.

"The monster attacked Cumore's men. I got a sword from one of them."

"They  _gave_ you a sword?"

"No." His eyes were cold and distant. "They were dead when I took it."

"Proceed."

"I don't remember most of the fight with the monster, but I managed to kill it. Ragou was mad, shouting something about the monster. He pulled a knife and charged me. I raised the sword to defend myself. And that's when I killed him."

While Flynn was left shivering in his seat, the Council whispered amongst themselves, their voices inaudible and their faces unreadable. It died down after a moment and they turned to Cumore.

"Lord Alexander Cumore, do you have a rebuttal for this witness testimony?"

"Of course, Your Excellencies. Cumore turned and looked directly at Yuri, his crimson eyes piercing. It was an attempt to intimidate Yuri. "Your Excellencies, why would you believe this low born rabble who is nothing more than a stray the Commandant keeps as a pet? We know nothing of his past, his lineage, and according to /his/ testimony, he and I are the only witnesses left from the incident. I was not present for any of these alleged events nor involved in the slightest. Who are you gong to believe? One of your peers or the trouble making garbage that the Commandant allows free rein within the city? He even admitted with his own mouth that he was responsible for the death of Magistrate Ragou."

"Where were you on the evening in question?"

"At home, playing cards with my sister. She and our butler, Sebastian, will surely testify to that truth."

The Council convened silently one more, but the Council head turned to Sodia.

"Have you anything further to add?"

"Yes, Your Excellencies. Not only do we have hard evidence to dispute Lord Cumore's claim, we also have his history--"

Cumore's pale face twisted up in a grimace, barely contained behind the pompous airs he wore.

"--of excessive abuses of his power that resulted in many deaths in the Desier city of Mantaic and his oppression of the fortress city of Heliord and its laborers. He regularly throws his weight around as noble when things do not go in his favor."

"What would have prompted him to do something like this?"

"The morning before his heinous plan was hatched, he and the victim, Yuri Lowell, engaged in a legal and binding duel to first blood. Even in the moment when Cumore lost, he attempted to lash out. The duel's overseers stopped him, but it is plain that he handled the defeat by deciding to be rid of the victim in this terrifying and inhumane fashion."

"Let us see the evidence."

At Sodia's command, the records retrieved from Cumore's mansion were brought forth, followed by the wooden coffin like crate, its interior marred by scratch marks where Yuri had been attempting to claw his way to freedom.

The moment that box entered the courtroom, Yuri grew tense, his hands curled into fists at his sides and his ivory face paling. The Council examined it, coming down off their lofty bench to circle it and get a closer look. They couldn't have known what Yuri had felt like while nailed into that crate. They set to whispering. It was as plain as day. They had to have seen the truth.

"Court is adjourned while the Council convenes on the evidence. For the time being, Lord Cumore is remanded to the custody of the Knights."

With a sneer, Cumore was taken from the courtroom to once more sit in the dungeon to wait for his judgment. The evidence was so clear, but there was still no definite hope of conviction. Cumore's ignominious behavior had been easily overlooked before, punished with only a request for his resignation and that had been the near genocide of a town that he had forcibly occupied, rather than the kidnapping and attempted murder of one person, who was not a citizen of the Empire. That didn't change the fact that what he had done was wrong, because, Imperial citizen or not, Yuri was still protected by the law and Cumore was still a criminal.

The Council filed out of the courtroom, leaving only Flynn, Sodia, and Yuri. But Yuri was shortly gone as well, disappearing out of the room before Flynn could even stand. He let him go for now. He could seek him out shortly.

"Thank you for your assistance and hard work, Sodia." He helped her gather the stacks of paper of evidence that they had.

"I'm only doing my job, sir." She said that, but she always went above and beyond the call of duty at any task she did. Sometimes, he didn't always approve, like her interrogation tactics on Cumore that they had only discussed briefly. The blood on her glove was hard to dismiss, even with his concern for Yuri.

"Once this is over, please take a few days off. You've earned a vacation."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Who?"

"Yuri Lowell, sir."

He let the silence stretch out a moment as he tapped a stack of papers flush. He wasn't sure how to answer, because he hadn't thought much on it.

"I was under the impression that you were going to send him home."

"That is no longer a viable solution."

Flynn was glad that she let the conversation drop there. He helped her cart all the evidence to the Knights' barracks, where it was secured, and only after that, did he go in search of Yuri.

The stables were his first stop, but neither Repede nor Yuri was there. The gardens were similarly void of his presence. Yuri's room had been mostly empty for over a week now as Flynn was getting used to a second presence in his bed, warm and welcome. He checked anyway, but it was in vain. His own room was the same. He half expected to find Yuri lounging on the sofa in the stateroom, napping with Repede laying over him, but rather Estelle was there, sitting straight and waiting for him.

"Lady Estellise, what brings you here?" She had returned to Halure a few days before, so her presence was unexpected.

"Judith and Karol had some business in town, so I came along to see how the trial went."

He joined her, sitting down on the sofa across from her. "The Council is currently deliberating on their verdict."

"I'm sure they'll see the truth."

"I hope so."

"How has Yuri been?"

"Some times, he's fine," Flynn sighed, leaning back into the cushions of the sofa and passing a hand through his spiky hair. "Other times, he gets very distant and very quiet. It happens without warning and he won't let me help him. I only want to help."

"I know you do, but I'm afraid that this is something that he's going to have to work through on his own. I'm sure that he knows that you only want to help, but maybe he just can't accept it."

Flynn knew that too, but it didn't ebb the concern and desire. "I don't know what to do."

"I know it's hard, but just leave him alone for a little while. He needs time and space to think and work through this."

He didn't like that, but he had no choice. He couldn't force his help on Yuri.

 

* * *

 

By the time dinner passed, Flynn hadn't expected a verdict until the next morning at the earliest, but while awake very late that night, he was startled by Sodia's presence at his door, with the news that a consensus had been reached.

Flynn and Sodia reported immediately to the court, and watched as Cumore was brought before the court once more. His cocky demeanor hadn't changed, even though his suit had. Another dark velvet jacket and another glare that told Flynn that Cumore was sure of his victory.

"We have reached a verdict." The head of the Council spoke, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He paused briefly to look over the mostly empty room. "Before we read the verdict, however, we have a few choice words."

He waited on baited breath.

"Lord Alexander Cumore, twice now you have been brought before this court on charges both terrible and unbecoming of one of your status."

Cumore's mouth fell open a little, eyes widening in shock.

"The first accusation against you, we the Council gave you the benefit of the doubt, believing that your actions in Heliord and Mantaic were only by the order of the traitorous former Commandant Alexei Dinoia. But with this incident, we have come to realize that your fallacious statements are part of a pattern of behavior that will not be tolerated. Your status does not place you above the law. There by you--"

"You're going to believe the word of this upstart Commandant?! I am innocent. He is merely pinning the blame on me for his own convenience and twisted purposes!" Cumore's fists hit the counter, his face flushed bright red in anger.

"While it is true that Commandant Flynn Scifo is young, he has thus far proven his reliability, but he is not the one who testified against you. In fact, he had only been watching the court proceedings. The witness is the one who spoke against you, and although he is, as you stated, a stranger in our land and something of a nuisance in the palace, the evidence very clearly matches his testimony."

"You--!"

"Speak out of turn once more, Alexander Cumore, and see what sort of judgment that gets you. I guarantee that you won't like it."

Cumore fell silent, his hands curled into claws across the top of the counter before him.

"For the kidnapping of one Yuri Lowell, you have been found _guilty_."

 _Guilty_. That word filled Flynn to the brim with hope, but it wasn't over yet.

"Since we are unable by law to take your previous charges into account when punishing you, you are sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison."

Cumore went deadly pale and let out a shriek, but it was a distant murmur to Flynn's ears.

Three years was hardly enough. It was hardly /justice/, but Flynn also knew that he was lucky to get this much. Cumore should have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, as there had to have been no doubt in his mind what would have happened to Yuri in Ragou's horrific basement. More than the little victory that it was, it was a sign to Flynn. He still had a lot of work to do to see that justice was brought and that those who broke the law were punished. It was bittersweet, but he had no choice but to take it.

"And Commandant--"

Flynn's ears perked up and he was on his feet, his attention squarely on the head of the Council. "Yes, Your Excellencies?"

"The charge of conspiracy to commit murder has henceforth been dismissed. Not only do we have no hard evidence to support the charge, the work done by the Knights, in this case and during the incidents in Mantaic and Heliord, has been beyond sloppy."

The shock of that made his stomach turn in knots.

"Perhaps, if the Knights were competently trained, they would more effectively do their jobs and justice could properly be done. You may be a novice, but do not forget that you have a lot of work to do."

He bit back his argument. It was pointless. In the end, the Council was right and he still had to work to make the Empire a place of justice. "Yes, Your Excellencies."

At least he had the satisfaction of watching Cumore being drug away, kicking and screaming and indignant over the verdict. It wasn't enough.

He left the court and immediately searched Yuri out. He needed to hear this, that even in a small way, Cumore was being punished, even if justice had slipped out of Flynn's hands once more. Thankfully, he was in his own room this time, sitting on the balcony with Repede draped over his legs. He called when Flynn knocked, but didn't look up at him as he approached, charcoal eyes fixed on the sky blanketed in dark grey-black clouds.

"How are you feeling?"

Yuri shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Cumore was found guilty."

"That's great. He can't hurt anyone else for a while."

He couldn't dash Yuri's hopes by telling him the rest. Rather, something else was on Flynn's mind. He let his hand drop onto Yuri's shoulder. "I know we haven't spoken about it, but I just wanted you to know that I have no intentions of sending you home."

"Good." Yuri looked over at him finally. "Because I joined a guild."

"W-What?" He could hardly believe his ears.

"As of tomorrow, I'm a member of Brave Vesperia."


End file.
